Key Points
- A 4.45 billion-year-old zircon grain from the Martian meteorite NWA7034 provided evidence of ancient water-rich fluids.
- Nano-scale geochemistry was used to detect elements indicating hydrothermal activity.
- The presence of water during early crust formation suggests Mars was potentially habitable.
- This finding enhanced our understanding of Mars’ ancient environment and its potential to support life.
Recent research has uncovered compelling evidence of ancient hydrothermal activity on Mars, revealing that the planet may have been habitable billions of years ago. This discovery stems from analyzing a 4.45 billion-year-old zircon grain found in the Martian meteorite NWA7034, also known as Black Beauty.
The research was published in Science Advances. Using advanced nano-scale geochemistry techniques, the researchers identified elemental patterns in the zircon grain that indicate the presence of water-rich fluids during its formation. The study, led by Dr. Aaron Cavosie of Curtin’s School of Earth and Planetary Sciences, provides new insights into the hydrothermal systems associated with Mars’ magmatic activity and their potential role in creating habitable environments.
“We detected elemental evidence of hot water on Mars 4.45 billion years ago,” said Dr. Cavosie. “Hydrothermal systems are critical for the development of life on Earth, and our findings suggest that Mars also had water—a fundamental ingredient for habitability—during the earliest phases of its crust formation.”
The research team identified elements such as Iron, Aluminium, Yttrium, and Sodium within the zircon grain through nano-scale imaging and spectroscopy. These elements were introduced by water-rich fluids interacting with the grain during early Martian magmatic activity. This marks a significant discovery, as it confirms the presence of water on Mars during the Pre-Noachian period, prior to 4.1 billion years ago.
The study builds upon a 2022 Curtin investigation of the same zircon grain, which revealed that it had been shocked by a meteorite impact. This earlier finding established the grain as the first and only known shocked zircon from Mars. The latest research provides geochemical markers of water in Mars’ oldest known crust, enhancing understanding of the planet’s early environment.
